Senzo Meyiwa Trial | Bank records place Ntanzi’s testimony under scrutiny

Tensions flared at the Pretoria High Court on Wednesday as heated exchanges interrupted proceedings in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial.

Presiding Judge, Ratha Mokgoatlheng, locked horns with defence advocate Sipho Ramosepele, over cellphone records and bank statements linked to accused number two, Bongani Ntanzi.

The State presented bank statements from Capitec Bank and Standard Bank, which it sought to link to cellphone numbers allegedly associated with Ntanzi.

Ntanzi is one of five men accused of the 2014 killing of former Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa in Vosloorus.

Advocate Ramosepele objected to the Standard Bank statements, telling the court he had not been given prior notice of the documents and that analysing them without disclosure was procedurally irregular.

The exchange grew tense after Judge Mokgoatlheng directed that the records be shown to the defence.

Ramosepele clarified that his objection was intended to seek clarity and not to disrupt proceedings or deny the State the opportunity to present its evidence.

He insisted the statements were unrelated to the cellphone number previously placed on record and expressed frustration over the court’s handling of the matter.

The defence maintains that Ntanzi’s cellphone and SIM card were stolen, despite the State’s claim that the number appears on a Standard Bank account allegedly linked to him.

Prosecutor, Advocate George Baloyi, further presented cellphone records suggesting Ntanzi’s phone was active during his incarceration.

Ntanzi told the court he parted ways with his cellphone when he was arrested on Youth Day in 2020 and had no communication with anyone during his detention.

Baloyi argued that the cellphone number Ntanzi claims to have obtained in 2018 corresponds with the number reflected on his Capitec account, with records dating back as early as 2013.

Ntanzi denied that the number was ever linked to his bank account.

Advocate Baloyi told the court that the bank was able to verify the cellphone number, which the State believes is linked to Ntanzi’s account.

Ntanzi, however, said he could not recall which number he used when opening the account and denied that the 060 number in question was associated with his Capitec profile at the time of Meyiwa’s murder.

Baloyi presented bank statements allegedly bearing Ntanzi’s details, including a 060 cellphone number the State says he had been using since 2013.

The court heard that the statements relate to August 2017, when Ntanzi was employed at Sibanye Gold in Rustenburg.

Ntanzi strongly denied using the number as far back as 2013, insisting he only obtained it in 2018 – raising questions over who may have been using it during the earlier period.

“If I remember well, the state said I used this number in 2014 and so I am saying that it’s not true. I was not using that number in 2014. I acquired this number in 2018. I as the owner of this number I never provided it to Capitec. There was not even a notification or SMS that came to this number from Capitec,” Ntanzi said.

Although he later acknowledged using the number, Ntanzi maintained that it was not linked to his bank account at the time relevant to the murder investigation.

Written by: Odirile Rabalao